Cipher key setting system, access point, and cipher key setting method

Abstract

Disclosed is a cipher key setting system wherein the access point detects the terminals connected to the wireless LAN through the access point itself repeatedly at each predetermined time, reviews the adopted cipher systems when there are replacements of the terminals participating in the wireless LAN and a decrease in the number of the terminals, and adopts a cipher system according to the guideline ‘selecting the cipher system of the highest security level among the cipher systems that the devices building up the network can commonly adopt’. The system prevents the security setting from being maintained at a needlessly low level, after a certain terminal withdrew from the network or after some terminals were replaced.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a cipher key setting system, an access point, and a cipher key setting method. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] To build up a communication network with an access point being a repeater for a wireless LAN needs to attain a high security level of the network, which prevents fraudulent intrusion into the network and the leakage of communication data to a third party and so forth. Accordingly, various security techniques on the wireless LAN have been disclosed thus far. [0005] For example, a technique is proposed which utilizes MAC (Media Access Control) addresses being inherent identification numbers assigned in advance to wireless LAN interfacing devices (for example, wireless LAN adapters) mounted on terminals. This technique registers the MAC addresses to an access point, makes the access point authenticate the MAC addresses accompanied with the accesses from the term...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022] In the fifth aspect of the invention constructed as the above, the cipher key transmitting means on the access point side transmits to a terminal by wireless the cipher systems narrowed by the cipher systems transmitted by the cipher system transmitting means on the terminal side and the cipher keys used in each of the narrowed cipher systems, of the cipher systems that the access point can adapt itself to. And, the cipher key storing means on the terminal side stores each of the cipher keys corresponding to each of the cipher systems transmitted from the access point in a predetermined storage area. In consequence, the terminals are able to acquire the cipher systems that the terminals and the access point can commonly adopt and the cipher keys used in the cipher systems. And, the cipher systems narrowed by the cipher systems and the cipher keys used in each of the narrowed cipher systems are transmitted from the access point to the terminal side. Thereby, it will be unnecessary to notify the cipher keys anew, even if the access point switches the cipher system afterwards. This will relieve troublesomeness of performing notifications, and will prevent lowering of security accompanied with notifying the cipher keys at the same time.

[0023] According to a sixth aspect, the construction may be made such that the cipher key transmitting means on the access point side transmits the narrowed cipher systems and the cipher keys used in each of the narrowed cipher systems to the terminal, only once when the cipher systems are transmitted by the cipher system transmitting means of the terminal concerned on the terminal side. That is, to transmit the narrowed cipher systems and the cipher keys from the access to the terminal only once will make it unnecessary to notify the cipher keys anew, even if the access point switches the cipher system afterwards. This will relieve troublesomeness of performing notifications to a great extent, and will prevent lowering of the security accompanied with notifying the cipher keys at the same time significantly.

Problems solved by technology

However, the invention described in the application leaves technical problems as follows.

In consequence, after a terminal withdraws from the network, there remains a problem that the security environments cannot necessarily be optimized between wireless LAN devices participating in the network.

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